NAPLES, Italy (Reuters) - Napoli manager Antonio Conte said he was happy with his side's display and commitment after they lost to Lazio for the second time this week on Sunday, also losing their place at the top of the Serie A.
After Thursday's 3-1 away defeat knocked Napoli out of the Coppa Italia, a home league game gave them a chance for revenge along with the opportunity to reclaim top spot from Atalanta.
Instead, Lazio came away victorious again, with Gustav Isaksen's goal the difference between the sides in a 1-0 win, but Conte remained upbeat in defeat.
"Today's match also tells us that the path we are taking is the right one, our idea is to attack the opponent, to not let them control the game and create situations to hurt," Conte told DAZN.
"There is room for improvement from this point of view, we get there but the last step is missing.
"We are working on it, I am not disappointed with the performance, the boys gave everything, playing a good match against an excellent team."
Lazio are now just one point off Napoli, in what is turning out to be an excitingly close title race, and after their two wins over his side, Conte is not surprised with their position in the standings.
"Lazio are not a meteorite, they are doing very well," Conte said.
"I'm not disappointed or unhappy, during this journey there are some stumbles, there will probably be others, this is the team I want to see but we need to have more quality in the final metres."
Lazio manager Marco Baroni knows what it takes to win a Scudetto. He scored the only goal for Napoli, against Lazio, on the final day of the season in 1990 to guarantee them the league title, but he isn't getting carried away with his side's success.
"It's hard to make the climb and it takes a moment to drop back down again," Baroni said.
"I know the league very well, the teams that are at the top, and we have to face them with this attitude. And then in the end we will see."
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Toby Davis)
